New authority will oversee Adelaide riverbank precinct

A statutory authority will be set up to coordinate development and promote Adelaide's riverbank precinct along the Torrens.

Premier Jay Weatherill said the Economic Development Board recommended an authority sit outside of government agencies to oversee the precinct's development and events.

"The authority will also be tasked with promoting the precinct as a tourist destination, much in the same way Melbourne and Brisbane do with their Southbank precincts," he said.

Legislation to establish an authority will give it the role of granting licences and managing master plans for the area.

Mr Weatherill hopes to have the statutory authority in place by the end of the year.

"It's about making sure that we coordinate all of the development of activity that goes on here, and what we have seen in some other places is piecemeal development. What we want to see here is an overarching vision," he said.

The Premier has been to Adelaide Oval to inspect the latest redevelopment work, including installation of the first of eight turf pitches, which was moved to the centre of the oval using a 27-tonne transporter.